Baseball changes color and Oscar notices

Thursday

Apr 4, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Liz Smith

‘Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded!” Yogi Berra once said of a popular watering hole.

Speaking of baseball, as we so seldom do here, let’s think back to the Academy Awards, which just took place a couple months ago. Quick! Who won what? How quickly we forget. But already nominees are being considered for next year’s Oscars. And one that is bound to stir emotions is the coming movie “42.”

This is the inspirational story of baseball great Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in the all-white major leagues. America was approaching the ’50s when all this happened and The New York Brooklyn Dodgers put themselves on the map.

The film will trace Jackie’s life and how he was encouraged by his coach, the famous Branch Rickey. And the best thing is that Rickey will be played by none other than Harrison Ford. The young leading man, Chadwick Boseman, plays the talented, determined and very brave Jackie, who faced so many ugly situations as he fought to play baseball in the big leagues.

Robinson went on to become the first African-American TV analyst, the first African-American vice president of a major American corporation and to help establish the Freedom National Bank. He was a great gentleman, a great sportsman and his courage made a huge cultural impact.

Buzz on this movie, its titled based on Jackie’s uniform number, is already impressive. There is actual Oscar talk for Ford and Boseman. And my old friend, Chris Meloni, of “Law-and-Order: SVU fame,” has a strong role as the ornery Leo Durocher.

It is much too early for predictions. But it’s always fun to be able to say, “You heard it here first.” Just remember, you did hear it here first!

Be sure to take a look in bookstores on April 15 at a brand-new children’s book on Jackie Robinson titled “Jackie and Me: A Very Special Friendship.” This was written by one of my all-time pals, Tania Grossinger, and has a charming cover by artist Charles George Esperanza.

Tania was 13 years old when Jackie came to Catskill, N.Y., to the famed resort hotel owned by her family. They played ping pong together and enjoyed a lifelong relationship. Sky Pony Press is publishing this on the same day the movie is released.